The present invention relates generally to loaders which are adapted for mounting on a frame of a tractor, and more specifically to a system for quickly and easily attaching the loader to the tractor and for removing the loader from the tractor, without requiring special tools or loose parts such as pins or bolts.
Previously available loaders are generally attached to a tractor utilizing special brackets with mounting pins or bolts which easily become lost and which require tools to secure the mast to the frame. Numerous steps are often required by the operator for attaching or detaching the loader mast, and therefore such operations are inconvenient and time-consuming. With some loaders, parking stands are utilized to support the loader in the parked position, and these have to be readjusted or removed when the loader is attached. Mismatch between the loader and tractor, in some instances as little as a fraction of an inch, can greatly hinder parking and mounting operations. Connecting members with close tolerances, or in the alternative, special adjusting hardware, often are used to prevent unwanted play between the tractor frame and the mast assembly, and in many loaders wherein primary connections are made at the front of the tractor the tolerances are even more critical. Such structure increases the cost and complexity of the loader. With some mounting arrangements, large frames are required on the tractor which interfere with normal tractor operation when the loader is dismounted.
Many of the previously available loader structures are difficult to break loose from the tractor frame during dismounting. Often, the frames mounted on the tractors are covered with grease to reduce binding. Successful removal of the structure often relies upon loader drag to break the loader free from the mounting frame. In difficult situations such as when the loader has been mounted on the tractor for a long period of time, additional equipment may be necessary to physically hold the loader bucket against the ground to provide the necessary loader drag during dismounting.
Long hydraulic hoses, or extension hoses, are often required to maintain hydraulic connection of the loader with the tractor during dismounting. With some structures, the operator has to handle the hoses while moving the tractor during mounting and dismounting. When the loader is mounted on the tractor, the longer hoses are often difficult to mount and maintain out of interfering relationship with the boom and frame during normal operation of the loader.
Some loaders rely on hydraulic pressure to maintain the loader in the parked position, and therefore cylinder and hose leakage create problems during storage. Also, when cylinders remain partially extended in the parked position, the rods are subjected to damage during storage.